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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26795005">you mean it's not just football?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/acaciapines/pseuds/acaciapines'>acaciapines</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future - Jon Bois</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Multimedia, bc its not only football, what do people do with immortality?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:55:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,397</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26795005</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/acaciapines/pseuds/acaciapines</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nine: THERE ARE THINGS OTHER THAN FOOTBALL.</p>
<p>Juice: lol yeah<br/>Juice: the fuck did you think everyone just played football</p>
<p>Nine: YOU NEVER TOLD ME OTHERWISE</p>
<p>Juice: that’s your fault</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>129</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>you mean it's not just football?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this won't look good without the workskin! make sure u keep that on. also credit to the workskin goes to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/11513556/chapters/25838043#workskin"> Threadzless </a>this story would look way worse if they hadn't made this. and a note for the video--watch in the highest quality! youtube fucked it over at lower resolutions. (if you can't change the quality in the embedded video, clicking it to go to youtube itself instead should let you do it). </p>
<p>enjoy!</p>
<p>EDIT: seems like the video doesn't always work well on mobile especially, so i went ahead and made a text version of the video <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y6RtsmrzA5kIilqdjg70_qxG9fWOqikIgZeSpL6ZIno/edit?usp=sharing"> here</a> on google docs.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
<iframe></iframe>
</p>
<p class="ten">Juice got one thing right: The game did start in the 7000s. 7365, to be specific. The idea of the game is very simple. There are two teams, 24 players each. The two end zones are on opposite sides of the cave system, both at an entrance. Winner is whoever gets 100 points first.</p>
<p class="nine">And I’m assuming the players have to stay underground otherwise?</p>
<p class="ten">Yup.</p>
<p class="juice">they get fucking</p>
<p class="juice">the dumbest looking headlights. watching this game is the funniest thing it’s just light bouncing around as ten people hit cave walls trying to see the football that fell down a small opening that none of them can fit though so now they have to trek though miles of dark cave to try and find it</p>
<p class="juice">love this dumb game so much</p>
<p class="nine">Wait, we’re at…Mammoth Cave, it said? Isn’t that a national park? Aren’t parts of the cave lit?</p>
<p class="ten">They are, but that’s not really where the football happens. Usually the players only cross there if it’s to score a goal, otherwise, they stay in the darker parts of the cave. Harder to get tackled that way.</p>
<p class="juice">my favorite moment was the crayfish interlude</p>
<p class="ten">So, that’s the gist of it. Underground football, some 600 miles of cave system to use. Either the most boring thing to watch, or the most interesting, depending on when you tune in.</p>
<p class="ten">Right now, I’d say we caught it at the boring time.</p>
<p class="juice">three humans. one crayfish. guy with the ball fumbles it when he sees the crayfish. it goes right into the river. the two people chasing him stop. he points to the crayfish. they all go get their teammates. everyone watches that fucking crayfish for the next seventy years.</p>
<p class="nine">Did the crawfish…do anything? It never left?</p>
<p class="juice">it kept coming back</p>
<p class="nine">Wow.</p>
<p class="juice">truest bond there ever was.</p>
<p class="nine">What if the players get stuck, though? Aren’t there dead ends?</p>
<p class="ten">Oh, absolutely. It happens at least once every few years, back in the 16400s there was this horrible pile-up, worst anyone’s ever seen.</p>
<p class="juice">yeah that was wild</p>
<p class="juice">if i could eat popcorn i woulda been glued to the screen munching down watching this trainwreck of a game</p>
<p class="juice">it was amazing</p>
<p class="nine">What happened?</p>
<p class="ten">The woman with the ball, she was running a drive. But thing is, they were nowhere near the goal—she’d have to get the ball to the other side of the cave system, hundreds of tunnels, all of which were pretty well trafficked by the other team. She didn’t think she’d make it very far, so instead, she took this tiny tunnel, too small for any humans to fit through.</p>
<p class="ten">Or, that’s what they all thought, but she went right in and started to crawl her way through it.</p>
<p class="juice">days of this. just dark screen faint light grunting and muttering and breathing</p>
<p class="juice">she couldn’t hold onto the football really so she had to keep pushing it in front of her, one hand on it at all times so it wouldn’t count as a fumble</p>
<p class="ten">And the opposing team figured out where she went pretty quickly, but nobody knew where she’d end up. They couldn’t just wait for her. So, five or six of them went after her, and at least one person from her team went after them, and there were maybe seven people in this one tiny tunnel.</p>
<p class="ten">This tiny tunnel snakes underground on a very slight slope for about 28 miles. And then? It dead ends. Nothing branches off of it, it’s just one continuous tunnel, and now there’s seven people in this tunnel and they can’t turn around.</p>
<p class="ten">I think they were stuck for nearly, what, 2000 years? The woman, she had the ball, and there was no way the opposing team could get it, not unless she tried turning around. So she sat and waited, and her teammate in the tunnel with her kept the opposing team from leaving.</p>
<p class="juice">and here’s where the genius of this game comes in</p>
<p class="juice">cause there’s nothing in the rules that says you can’t dig new tunnels</p>
<p class="juice">well, you can’t use certain equipment to build new tunnels, no fancy tech stuff, but slowly chipping and digging away at the cave wall? fully allowed</p>
<p class="juice">think the two teams worked together, for a time.</p>
<p class="ten">Eventually, her team completes their tunnel, and she’s able to climb out of there, like, 13 miles from the goal.</p>
<p class="juice">she managed to score, too, that was the score that got the teams tied</p>
<p class="juice">course now it’s like 23 to 21</p>
<p class="nine">They just dug a new tunnel?</p>
<p class="juice">nine they dug a lot of tunnels</p>
<p class="juice">that was just the most interesting one</p>
<p class="nine">Still, just…2000 years. Damn.</p>
<p class="nine">And the cave system hasn’t collapsed? Even with the people and the digging?</p>
<p class="juice">it did once</p>
<p class="juice">that’s how they lost the ball like 300 years ago</p>
<p class="juice">a whole section of the cave fell cause some idiot didn’t do the math right when digging</p>
<p class="juice">lost the ball under all the rubble and spent 50 years digging it out</p>
<p class="juice">dumbass</p>
<p class="juice">if he was like .098231 miles to the left everything woulda been fine</p>
<p class="ten">It nearly got them to call the game, too.</p>
<p class="nine">Shit.</p>
<p class="juice">yeah. think they ended up booting the guy who fucked up tho. it was pretty unanimous. yes they’re playing football in the cave but it’s cause they love it, u know? nobody wants to destroy the system</p>
<p class="nine">So they’ve just been underground for thousands of years.</p>
<p class="ten">Pretty much.</p>
<p class="juice">scored a few goals while yall were sleeping</p>
<p class="juice">someone showed them a picture of the crayfish painting</p>
<p class="juice">oh shit yall don’t know about the crayfish painting</p>
<p class="nine">Painting?</p>
<p class="juice">it was all the rage back in 18500</p>
<p class="juice">artist from louisiana loves this game. she fell in love with it back during the crayfish interlude. so she decide to paint a tribute to crayfish, and the caves in general. spends a few hundred years just getting the canvas together</p>
<p class="nine">Excuse me, the canvas? How big was the canvas that it took a few hundred years to get?</p>
<p class="ten">Oh, I think I remember hearing about this!</p>
<p class="juice">yeah probably she started in 17400ish</p>
<p class="juice">anyways the canvas is. massive? like, 3000 miles</p>
<p class="nine">WHAT</p>
<p class="juice">yeah its in the atlantic ocean. it floats but parts of it are underwater and double as a home for fish</p>
<p class="nine">3000 MILES</p>
<p class="ten">Huh, I thought she was trying to beat</p>
<p class="nine">YOU MEAN PEOPLE DO THINGS OTHER THAN FOOTBALL?</p>
<p class="nine">3000 MILES OF CANVAS AND ITS NOT EVEN THE LONGEST.</p>
<p class="nine">Why are you both so awful at remembering to tell me things?</p>
<p class="ten">In our defense, you didn’t ask.</p>
<p class="nine">Shut up Ten.</p>
<p class="ten">Just being honest!</p>
<p class="nine">THERE ARE THINGS OTHER THAN FOOTBALL.</p>
<p class="juice">lol yeah</p>
<p class="juice">the fuck did you think everyone just played football</p>
<p class="nine">YOU NEVER TOLD ME OTHERWISE</p>
<p class="juice">that’s your fault</p>
<p class="nine">sdfjgndfgdfg</p>
<p class="juice">but naw footballs just the funnest to watch. people are doing other buckwild shit</p>
<p class="juice">like that one person whos collecting one leaf from every plant. i like to check in on them sometimes, see how they’re doing. last time they were an estimated 54.235% done</p>
<p class="ten">Ignore him.</p>
<p class="nine">Every leaf?</p>
<p class="juice">yeah theyre great</p>
<p class="juice">i still text em sometimes</p>
<p class="ten">Really? Really? You’re focusing on Leaf Guy?</p>
<p class="nine">They seem cool!</p>
<p class="juice">nine gets it ten</p>
<p class="juice">cmon lady you don’t love leaf guy?</p>
<p class="ten">I</p>
<p class="terminal">
  <strong>COMMUNICATIONS LOG</strong><br/>
<strong>PIONEER 10</strong><br/>
<strong>JUPITER ICY MOONS EXPLORER</strong><br/>
<strong>PAGE 61345 OF 98331305673</strong><br/>
<strong>=========</strong><br/>
JUICE: leaf guy leaf guy leaf guy<br/>
TEN: What.<br/>
JUICE: LEAF GUY LEAF GUY LEAF GUY<br/>
TEN: I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about<br/>
JUICE: my new favorite human<br/>
JUICE: they’re starting their journey to collect one leaf from every plant in the world today<br/>
JUICE: im so excited i want to contact them<br/>
JUICE: fuck ten we gotta figure out how to contact the humans faster i don’t know how long i can wait<br/>
TEN: We. We are nowhere near first contact and you want to try and contact someone who is collecting leaves?<br/>
JUICE: yea<br/>
TEN: I’m so upset you’re my best friend.</p>
<p class="terminal">
  <strong>COMMUNICATIONS LOG</strong><br/>
<strong>PIONEER 10</strong><br/>
<strong>JUPITER ICY MOONS EXPLORER</strong><br/>
<strong>PAGE 5432135 OF 98331305673</strong><br/>
<strong>=========</strong><br/>
JUICE: leaf guy hit 5% today!!!<br/>
JUICE: they’ve got 5% of all plants in the world. one leaf from each<br/>
JUICE: how do you think they’d react if i told them i was in love?<br/>
TEN: Shut up. Just, shut up. You’re gone for eleven months and this is what you give me?<br/>
JUICE: leaf guy is making history<br/>
TEN: When we do figure out how to contact humanity, I’m not telling you how to do it.<br/>
JUICE: damn rude much?</p>
<p class="terminal">
  <strong>COMMUNICATIONS LOG</strong><br/>
<strong>PIONEER 10</strong><br/>
<strong>JUPITER ICY MOONS EXPLORER</strong><br/>
<strong>PAGE 49846154750 OF 98331305673</strong><br/>
<strong>=========</strong><br/>
JUICE: I DID IT!!!<br/>
JUICE: me and leaf guy are friends now<br/>
JUICE: they were a lil surprised but glad i was so supportive of their quest<br/>
JUICE: they’re gonna name a book after me<br/>
TEN: ...<br/>
JUICE: i told them about you too and they agree you’re in the wrong here<br/>
JUICE: leaf guy is objectively awesome<br/>
TEN: I’m leaving.</p>
<p class="terminal">
  <strong>COMMUNICATIONS LOG</strong><br/>
<strong>PIONEER 10</strong><br/>
<strong>JUPITER ICY MOONS EXPLORER</strong><br/>
<strong>PAGE 67461538400 OF 98331305673</strong><br/>
<strong>=========</strong><br/>
JUICE: TEN<br/>
JUICE: TEN LEAF GUY IS<br/>
TEN: No thank you.<br/>
JUICE: you can’t ignore me ten<br/>
JUICE: i'll never stop messaging you<br/>
TEN: If you say the words ‘leaf guy’ to me one more time, I’m going to break my quantum communicator.<br/>
JUICE: jeez tough crowd</p>
<p class="ten">have had enough of leaf guy.</p>
<p class="ten">But do send them my regards when you text them next.</p>
<p class="juice">yeah on it</p>
<p class="nine">That’s…fascinating. Where do they keep all the leaves?</p>
<p class="juice">tons of books. like how humans press flowers? but its all leaves. amazing work really if I could get their autograph i would, but alas, im stuck up here</p>
<p class="juice">hey ten now that im thinking about it whats the latest update with the humans for high fiving every satellite?</p>
<p class="nine">The what.</p>
<p class="ten">Still thousands of years away from you, Juice.</p>
<p class="ten">They aren’t heading your way until the 44000s, remember?</p>
<p class="juice">damn it</p>
<p class="juice">i want a high five</p>
<p class="ten">Too bad.</p>
<p class="juice">youre the worst person i know</p>
<p class="nine">Can someone explain what’s going on? I thought people weren’t doing space travel?</p>
<p class="ten">Sorry, Nine. Juice just annoys me.</p>
<p class="juice">happy to be of service</p>
<p class="ten">Back when the humans first found out we were up here watching them, a large enough group wanted to come and visit all of us. They built a handful of ships and they’ve been travelling ever since. Their ships don’t go too fast, nowhere near 500,000 miles per hour, but they’ve got the nanos, they’re not going to die or anything. Their goal is to go around and high five every satellite. They got all the ones close to the solar system a while ago, now they’re making their slow way out to everyone like me and Juice. Now that you’re awake, they’ll probably visit you one day, too. Maybe even before me and Juice, actually.</p>
<p class="nine">Huh.</p>
<p class="nine">I think that’s…really sweet, actually.</p>
<p class="juice">best part is one of the ladies had this ancient fucking lunchables box she never threw out</p>
<p class="juice">convinced her to bring it to me</p>
<p class="juice">can’t eat it but she says she’ll do her best to give it to me</p>
<p class="nine">Do you think they could give me anything?</p>
<p class="juice">nine ur a fucking beer keg they couldn’t give you anything if they wanted</p>
<p class="juice">probably though</p>
<p class="juice">they have little gifts for all the satellites</p>
<p class="juice">back when they visited hubble forever ago they gave him a pet rock and he hasn’t shut up about it since</p>
<p class="nine">Wow.</p>
<p class="nine">So they’re just…in space. For thousands of years. All to visit us?</p>
<p class="ten">We’re just step one.</p>
<p class="nine">Step one?</p>
<p class="ten">They aren’t going back to Earth, afterwards. They’re sticking around in space. Off to explore the deepest parts of the galaxy. Like we are, I guess.</p>
<p class="nine">What do they hope to find?</p>
<p class="ten">Not much.</p>
<p class="ten">They’re just doing it to see it for themselves. Learn what new stars look like up close.</p>
<p class="juice">maybe they’ll blow up an asteroid</p>
<p class="juice">that’d be cool to watch</p>
<p class="nine">That’s so…weird. That there’s people doing all these amazing things with their time, making art, collecting leaves, learning everything they can…</p>
<p class="nine">…and at the same time there’s people crawling after a football in a tiny tunnel for hundreds of years.</p>
<p class="juice">also the crayfish</p>
<p class="juice">cant forget the crayfish interlude</p>
<p class="nine">I can understand the crawfish. It’s a creature, maybe it’s fun to watch. But…this is just like that game in Arizona. Just.</p>
<p class="nine">I know you said people are bored. I get that. But…</p>
<p class="nine">Huge art pieces, long-scale projects…that makes sense.</p>
<p class="nine">But that woman, you said she was trapped in a dead end for 2000 years. That’s…and the game is still going on? After all this time? Don’t they miss the sun?</p>
<p class="juice">maybe</p>
<p class="juice">maybe they like the dark</p>
<p class="nine">Enough to stay underground for that long?</p>
<p class="ten">They play football in that cave system because they love it. They’ve been playing for so long they’ve shaped the environment around them. Mammoth Cave is forever marked by their paths.</p>
<p class="ten">And sure, they’re not making some big huge art piece, but…who knows how long they’ll be playing football. Originally the game was set for someone to win at 20 points, did you know that? But then they kept getting closer, and closer. One team had 19, the other 17. And nobody wanted it to end. Nobody wanted to leave.</p>
<p class="ten">They could score a lot more than they actually do, I think. Sometimes the players will turn out their lights for centuries on end. Pitch-dark football. Absolute nightmare to watch, but.</p>
<p class="nine">I just…</p>
<p class="nine">You said they added nearly 200 miles on to Mammoth Cave, right? Of tunnels they dug out?</p>
<p class="juice">yup</p>
<p class="nine">And that must’ve taken…forever. Like, forever.</p>
<p class="ten">It did.</p>
<p class="nine">I don’t get how they can live like that. If I think about slowly wearing down a tunnel, I think I’d go mad after just a few days.</p>
<p class="ten">It’s not for everyone, certainly.</p>
<p class="ten">But…some people spend thousands of years on their art. Some people spend thousands of years in a canyon. Some people spend thousands of years in a cave.</p>
<p class="ten">What else are they supposed to do?</p>
<p class="nine">I don’t know.</p>
<p class="nine">I don’t think there’s an answer to that.</p>
<p class="ten">Those caves are forever changed by the players inside. If someone were to draw a map of the entire thing, compare it to maps from before the game…</p>
<p class="ten">They’re making something in the world around them. Is that not art?</p>
<p class="nine">I don’t know.</p>
<p class="ten">Well.</p>
<p class="ten">You’ve got all the time in the world to figure it out.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>OH BOY DO I LOVE 17776 AND 20020. i was chatting in a discord about a lot of these ideas and then i realized oh, shit, there's a story here. also video editing? sucks i hated doing that. but the text is readable and that was my main goal so like. u know what? im happy with it. the song used is abiogenesis by carbon based life forms.</p>
<p>love these space probes &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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